localglo.be

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Today the team at Songkick publicly rolls out the labour of love which they've been working on for the last year - and I'm really excited about it and very proud of the team.

Why? Well, for a few reasons.

First, the service they've built is really killer. They have taken all the distributed passion and energy that fans pour into gigographies and live music across the web and pulled it all together in one place. The service launches with over 1m gigs past, present and future and the team has built a social layer around the content letting you really get lost in the venues, the bands and the music. If you love live music, you'll love this product and it has a real shot at becoming the home for live music on the web.

Second, they are playing in the most exciting and potentially the most valuable part of the music industry. While recorded music is in trouble, live music is growing like crazy. For fans the emotional attachment we have to concerts and festivals is something unique and for artists live is the place where you get your start, make your mark and is the mainstay of your income throughout your career regardless of your label. Artists and their managers control live music and as labels have lost control over the recorded product, live has become a pivot which is revolutionizing the industry.

Third, the Songkick team led by Ian, Pete and Michelle have really shown themselves to be great start-up role models for the next generation of European entrepreneurs. When I first met them in Boston a few years ago as they were leaving YC, they said they wanted to aim high and bring a passion to succeed and build something really big into the London start-up scene. There are some teams you meet you want to back immdiately, and they haven't disappointed. They are shooting for the moon but they have always kept their feet on the ground. They have been very strategic about investors, partners and hires and are incredibly disciplined controlling their costs and managing their time. Hard things for first time entrepreneurs. Sure they've made mistakes but they learn fast and adapt. Hallmarks of people who can build something big.

So, well done Songkick. To all the team. I know its been a huge effort to go live and you've all been itching to show the world what you can do - enjoy it. To liv music fans, enjoy it too both th trip down memory lane and all the gigs to come.